Isara Jones: New Friends and Old Flames
by Athena'sDragon
Summary: The second installment in my Isara Jones series- please read "Starfleet's Official Hugger" first. The crew of the USS Enterprise has been through a lot, and the reappearance of an old ex is the last straw for Isara. She and her friends are off to make the most of summer and come back prepared to face their futures! New characters introduced. Dr. McCoy (Bones)/OC, eventual Kirk/OC.
1. Chapter 1: The Gang's Back Together

**Author's Note:** Isara is back, you guys! If you haven't read "Isara Jones: Starfleet's Official Hugger," please do so before reading this.

Anyway, I just have way too much fun writing this character to let her go so soon.

This story will be the account of what happens to Isara and her friends over the summer. If that doesn't interest you, the next story will be about their adventures back aboard the _Enterprise_, so just hold tight!

As always, please R&R. I'm always open to plot requests.

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**Summary:** The second installment in my Isara Jones series. The crew of the USS Enterprise has been through a lot, and the reappearance of an old ex is the last straw for Isara. She and her friends are off to make the most of summer- but how will a road trip with Kirk, Alanna and Bones turn out? Might Spock and Uhura come along at Kirk's urging? Hopefully, the group of colleagues will learn some valuable information about themselves and each other, and come back prepared to face their futures.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Star Trek_ in any way, shape, or form. I don't even have a part share. :-(

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**Chapter 1: The Gang's Back Together**

_Isara's POV_

The club was pretty rowdy by my standards, but Kirk and Alanna were obviously having a good time. Alanna was in her trademark fuscia, this time manifesting itself in her cropped tank top and Converse sneakers. Her faded denim shorts were nearly invisible what with the throbbing mass of dancers and the dizzying way that she was twirling around. Kirk, in his plain white t-shirt, kept trying to get close enough to her to dance, but she would twist away with a flirtatious hair flip and make it look like she hadn't even noticed him. I had to admire how finely she had honed her teasing skills.

I leaned against the wall, which pulsed against my back with the intensity of the music. It was a popular new dance song- "The Growl"- and all the clubs were playing it. I allowed my head to nod slightly in time with the beat, though it wasn't really my kind of music. One time I took a 20th century art history class, and I did a report on jazz and swing from the 1920s through the 1940s. From the first strains of Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller, I had been hooked. I missed the sounds of real instruments played by real people, and voices that hadn't been synthesized and adjusted until they were robotic.

I was jolted out of my reverie by Bones touching my shoulder and gesturing towards the dance floor, one eyebrow raised. I smiled and nodded. I was finally out of my uniform for a while, and had dressed specifically for dancing- jeans and flats would be comfortable, and a sequined blue top wasn't too revealing but would sparkle nicely under the lights.

Bones obviously didn't know how to dance to this kind of music any more than I did- he looked confused for a moment, then started bobbing up and down by bending and straightening his knees in time to the music, hands in his pockets. I laughed and shook my head. I grabbed his arm and pulled him through the crowd, heading for where I had last seen Kirk and Alanna.

Alanna squealed and waved at us, grabbing Kirk in a similar manner and dragging him over. She immediately saw our dilemma and illustrated how to dance to the club music, bouncing and jumping around, waving her arms and twisting her hips. I thought that I imitated her fairly well, but Bones was failing miserably. Alanna laughed at him and gestured to Kirk, who was doing similar dance moves but in a more "manly" fashion. After a few tries, the four of us were dancing in tight group and grinning away at each other like the slightly insane people that we were. I sighed happily, the sound masked by the thumping bass of the nearby speakers. It was great to have everyone together again.

_Alanna's POV_

Isara and Bones were so sweet together, she reflected as she watched them from the dance floor. They were leaning up against the wall together watching the floor, and they probably didn't even realize that their shoulders were pressed together and their fingers just inches away from being intertwined. Alanna herself was fine with the boyfriend-in-every-port approach, but it was refreshing to see the kind of young love that classical poets had taken the time to document.

Oh God, she was going to turn into a hopeless romantic like Isara. She chuckled lightly to herself, noticing Kirk trying to surreptitiously edge through the crowd to dance next to her again. That kid was going to be fun, she thought as she flung herself into a spin with a masterful hip jerk. She was looking forward to this summer, spending time with her friends on shore leave. It might be enough to take the edge off of the loneliness when she was back on the _USS Bradbury_ by herself.

_Kirk's POV_

Okay, she had to be doing that on purpose. He scowled as Alanna once again spun innocently away, leaving him wedged between two sweaty underclassmen. He glanced over at Bones, who seemed to be having a much easier time with Isara. They were casually leaned together, apparently content to observe the dancing, while Bones looked like he was trying to work up the courage to hold her hand. For Pete's sake, those two had been together since the thing on the _Enterprise_, and that must have been a couple of weeks ago! He would have to talk with Bones.

For now, he was intent on getting over to dance with Alanna. He had barely given her any attention when he had first met her- after all, he had been occupied by a screaming Isara and a derisive Bones. But since he had tagged along with Bones and Isara and met her officially, he couldn't deny that that girl was pretty amazing. She was beautiful, funny, sociable, and was incredibly good at playing hard-to-get. Kirk wondered if she might be the first girl that he would fail to get after he set his mind to it. Ah well, he shrugged to himself. He could have fun trying.

_Bones's POV_

Just a couple more inches... his hand twitched imperceptibly closer to Isara's. Then a little closer. Then yet a little closer. When he had closed the distance down to two inches, Isara shifted her hand slightly and made the gap more like five inches again. Bones ground his teeth together, wondering if the movement had been intentional. Maybe he should stop trying to grab her hand. But surely, if that was the message she was trying to send, she would have made the rejection more obvious? And she hadn't minded holding hands earlier. Maybe this was more of a public place? Or maybe she was totally unaware of his intentions.

Bones's jaw began to ache from clenching his teeth, and he could feel the sweat sticking his shirt to the back of his neck. He consciously took a few deep breaths and then started his hand's journey over again. Had he always been this awkward around women? He didn't think so. He specifically remembered being smooth and confident when wooing his ex-wife. A bitter taste tinged the back of his tongue as he thought of her, and he didn't realize when his hand began to tremble slightly.

Speaking of his past experiences with women, maybe he should call off this whole thing with Isara before he got too involved. Just contemplating the possibility of Isara treating him the way that his ex had made a dart of nausea shoot through the bottom of his stomach. He didn't think that his old heart would be able to mend should it break again.

Then Isara turned to him, her face radiant and all of her teeth showing in a gorgeous smile. The nausea was replaced with an airy bubble of happiness, the bitter taste with a responding smile. He hadn't really realized that he had brushed her shoulder, but he decided to take advantage of the situation and gesture to the dance floor. She nodded and led the way.

Bones smiled softly to himself as he watched Isara turn around and wait for him. The fact was that he had been broken when he came to Starfleet. He had been a mess, and his friends had pulled him through it. Kirk had been his first friend, but Isara was the one who had mended him. Here he was, dating a wonderful girl, and he was even brave enough to take her out with both of their friends and get really emotionally invested. If that didn't mean that his heart was on its way to healing, he didn't know what did. What he did know was that Isara was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time, and he wasn't going to let his stupid anxieties get in the way of that.

_Isara's POV_

After a while we all got tired, so Bones, Alanna and I parked ourselves at a table off to one side while Kirk grabbed drinks. I fanned myself halfheartedly with my hand, my shoulder slumped up against my chair. Bones gave me a concerned look and I smiled happily at him. It had been a very long time since I had been out dancing.

I scanned the crowd of people all around us, wondering where Kirk had wandered off to and what poor girl was being aggressively flirted with. My eyes fell on a very specific face and widened in alarm. I ducked under the table, much to Bones's surprise, and stayed hunched down by Alanna's feet.

"Isara? What is it?" Her worried voice wafted down to me.

"Be quiet!" I hissed. "It's Jimmy!"


	2. Chapter 2: I Knew You Were Trouble

**Author's Note:** Firstly, thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed the last chapter, either here or over on "Official Hugger." It means a lot to me, as always!

Second, this is the first chapter that has actually been betad... by none other than the amazing and lovely sailinginthenoondaysun, who took time out of her vacation to read and send me edits! Hugs from both me and Isara to you, friend. :-)

Finally, don't forget to go check out a truly awesome Psych story by another good friend, soccergirlkj.

As always, please R&R, and I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with Chapter 3: A Crisis and a Solution.

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**Disclaimer:** Really? _Again?_ Okay, if I must... Idon'townStarTrekinanyway,shapeorformandifIdidIsar awouldhaveappearedinthemoveies. There, happy?

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**Chapter 2: I Knew You Were Trouble**

_Isara's POV_

"What?" I could see Bones's hands clench into fists as he spoke, so I placed a hand lightly on his shin from my position beneath the table. He jumped.

"I said it's Jimmy! He's here. Just hide me." I scuttled backwards as well as I could, watching the shiny black boots meander their way towards our table.

"Isara!" The familiar voice sent an icy shot of nervousness through my veins. I winced and slowly stood up, trying to avoid the wide blue eyes now trained on my face. Instead, I turned my gaze to Bones.

"Sorry, I, um, couldn't find your, uh, quarter. It must have rolled away." My mouth was dry and sweat ran down my neck. How could Jimmy be here? He was supposed to be up in Seattle still.

Alanna saved the awkward moment by standing up and holding out her hand. "Jimmy, isn't it?" The man in front of me nodded suspiciously, his eyes still on me. "I'm Isara's friend Alanna. That's her new and much better boyfriend, Bones." I tried to inch backwards, but Jimmy followed my every step. Alanna and Bones both jumped between us. "I don't know what you're doing here, but I want to make one thing very clear: stay away from Isara, or else Bones and I will use our advanced hand-to-hand combat training to kill you." She smiled brightly and Bones glared menacingly.

Then I noticed the Starfleet insignia on Jimmy's ensign's uniform. I shuddered and Bones reached back one hand to clasp my shaking one.

"Isara, you have another boyfriend?" He did the wide-eyed look with the child-like accusation in his voice that had worked on me so many times in the past. "You don't feel even a little remorse for breaking up with me? We were meant to be together, Isara. We're so perfect for each other. I found out that you enlisted and I came here to be with you. I know that you'll eventually come around." His hands wandered slowly towards me as a wicked glint sparked in his eye. "Come on, sweetie, a kiss for your soul mate? Maybe a little more if you're willing to finally apologize?"

There was a sharp CRACK as my fist connected with his face. "Stay away from me, you creep! I'm going to get a restraining order as soon as I possibly can, and then I'm going to complain to the police and Starfleet if you come anywhere near me." Jimmy was still rubbing his face, his expression shifting slowly from pleading to shocked to mind-cloudingly furious when Kirk sidled up with four drinks.

"What'd I miss? Is that Jimmy? Can I help you beat him up?" I snatched my drink, downed it in one breath, slammed the glass back onto the table and stalked out of the club.

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I could hear my friends trying to catch up to me as I strode briskly down the sidewalk, but I was determined not to let them. I didn't want them to see the tears leaking out of the corners of my angrily squinted eyes.

I didn't really know why I was crying. I had been so weak when I had let Jimmy take advantage of me before, but I was stronger now... wasn't I?

The sudden doubt stopped me cold in my tracks. I could feel the city swirling around me, honking horns and thumping bass pulsing through the smog-filled summer air, but my world froze for just a second as I contemplated myself. Didn't the fact that I was running away show that I was still weak?

I clenched my fists, tasting the bile rising in the back of my throat. The familiar anxiety that I thought I had conquered so long ago was twisting my stomach, making my palms clammy and my breathing labored, clouding at the corners of my vision. Before my friends could find me paralyzed like this, I ducked into an alleyway and ran for my life. I focused on the pounding of my flats on the weed-cracked cement, on the way light tendrils of my hair seemed to defy gravity and float around my face in the gentle breeze.

* * *

_"Look, Jimmy, I'm sorry. I just feel like I can't go through with this."_

_He stared at me, half a smile settling ominously on his confident features. "You're nervous. I get it. Everyone is." He stepped forwards and took both of my hands in his, and my doubt began to recede, however unwillingly. Just like it always did._

_"We are meant to be together. You may pull away now, but you'll regret it in the future. Because no matter where you go, how far you think you've gotten from me, there will always be that little bit of you that misses me because you'll understand, deep down, that nothing can ever be as perfect as we are together."_

_The frustrated tears that I had shed earlier were dry on my cheeks, and I truly believed what he said. That somehow, whatever I did, we would always be chained together. I sighed, forcing a smile. I guess I thought true love would be... more._

_"Come on, Isara. Kiss and make up? You don't need to apologize, I understand." I wondered vaguely if Jimmy was a little confused as I leaned in to kiss him- he had, after all, been the one to start the conflict._

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The distant streetlights and the occasional flickering neon sign were soon the only illumination, and in a fresh burst of panic I realized that I was lost. I didn't recognize the buildings around me, even though I felt like I had been running for only a minute. I glanced at my watch- it had been more like half an hour.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, fingers nervously rubbing the base of the fourth finger on my left hand, trying to push away the image of Jimmy being the one to find me. My friends had been following me, I reminded myself. Surely they knew where I was.

I listened intently for the sounds of running feet, allowing my Starfleet training to take over my senses. The raucous party in the dilapidated apartment to my left was drowning out all other noise, so slowly, patiently, I began to retrace my steps.

Before I had gone a hundred yards down the dim side street I reached a T-bend. I had to choose- left or right. I chose right because I'm right-handed. I decided that I was probably going to have a long wander ahead of me before I got home, and resigned myself to be on high alert until I found my way again.

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It was most of an hour before I found myself on a street that I recognized. I was so tired by that point that it was another two hours before I was trudging up the stairs to the room I shared with Alanna again, too preoccupied to hear the voices inside until I had silently crept into the entryway. I stopped for a moment and listened with a kind of disconnected curiosity, my right hand moving back to feel the same finger on my left hand as before. I hadn't yet noticed the return of my old anxious habit.

"Damn it, Alanna, she has to be _somewhere_!"

"I don't know where she would have gone! You're the doctor here, how does someone usually respond to a shock like that?"

A long groan. "I don't know enough about Jimmy- and what Isara thinks of him- to know how she would react. She could be going somewhere specific, she could be driving away and back to Seattle, she could be wandering around downtown in a blind panic..." A shaky breath.

"Umm, guys?"

"Not now, Kirk," I heard Alanna snarl. "For the love of God, Bones, she talked more to you about him than she did to me. Did she say _anything_ that might help?"

"I don't... I don't... wait! She mentioned anxiety attacks once, she thought she had them under control but seeing him again might have triggered one..."

"Guys?"

"Damn it Jim, what is it already?"

Kirk silently raised a finger and pointed at me. Bones and Alanna followed the direction of his arm, and each had a completely opposite reaction to seeing me. Alanna jumped up, stared dumbstruck for a second, then simultaneously burst into tears and started shouting abuse. "Where have you been? Why didn't you call? You IDIOT! You could have been DEAD..."

Bones simply strode over and wrapped me in a tight hug. I didn't respond. I was a little bit in shock, but not like earlier. I was just to tired to cope with anything.

Bones pressed his lips to mine, and I could feel the anxiety in his stance. He pulled back quickly, making a face. "Did you get sick?"

I shrugged disinterestedly, swiping a hand over my mouth and observing the slightly orange streak that came away. "I don't remember. Probably. Can I go to bed now?"

Bones raised an eyebrow, but led me over to sit on one of the beds. Alanna and Kirk eyed me cautiously. I hadn't noticed when the former had gone silent, but the only sound in the room was my slightly ragged breathing.

Bones put a comforting arm around my shoulder. "I just need to make sure that you're okay." It was only later that I realized how much effort was going into his calm façade, how hard it was for him to simply question me as any good doctor would do. "What do you remember?"

I made a quick decision: my friends didn't need to know how badly I had been affected by seeing Jimmy. The rational part of my brain was telling me that I could deal with him, so this crazy side of me could just go slinking back to the dark corner of my mind from whence it came.

"I was kinda shaken up from seeing Jimmy, and I didn't really want to talk about it, so I went off by myself. I found a little bar..." I screwed up my face in pretend concentration. "I guess I got more drunk than I thought I did, because I don't remember the next couple of hours after that. That must be when I got sick. Then I walked until I found a place I recognized and got a cab back here."

I felt like my story was pretty convincing, but leave it to Bones to call my bluff. "Why are you still so winded if you got a taxi back here?"

"There are a lot of stairs, and I'm drunk and tired." I shrugged sheepishly.

"Are you sure you didn't have an anxiety attack? You seem pretty lucid, considering you got drunk enough to throw up."

I shrugged. "I'm fine. It was a one-time freak out. I can take care of myself pretty well, thanks." I faked what must have been a pretty convincing smile- or maybe he could just see how exhausted I was- because Bones dropped the subject.

"Okay. I'll leave Alanna to get you cleaned up. I'll see you tomorrow." He slowly stood up, obviously reluctant to leave me alone again.

"'Night," I yawned, falling backwards onto the bed as soon as his arm left my shoulders.

Through my exhausted haze, I could hear Kirk and Bones exchanging a few words with Alanna. They seemed to be along the lines of "That guy's mentally unstable." and "You should lock the door extra well tonight, I'm not sure what he's willing to do." Even the ominous implications of these words failed to shake me from my quick descent into unconsciousness.

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That night, I dreamed that I was in a room. There were no doors and no windows, and the light came from an unidentifiable source. The only object in the room was a mirror on the wall opposite me.

I felt an extreme sense of security. Looking into the mirror, I could see that my friends were standing behind me. I knew that, with them, I was safe. Nothing could break into my little room.

That is, until a single crack rent the mirror with the sound of a gunshot. My friends still stood there, smiling protectively at me, but it didn't make any difference. A dark substance began pouring into the room through the crack as other fissures spiderwebbed outward, and I realized that their peaceful faces were only an illusion of security. They could do nothing to stop this onslaught of darkness.

The black smoky material coiled around my legs. It was cold and painful to the touch, but there was no way to get away from it. I cursed that first crack, wondering what could have caused it, because I knew that it was responsible for all the subsequent damage to the mirror.

With no other option left to me, I started screaming. I screamed until my lungs ached and the cold and pain were less from the dark substance and more from the terror that was spiking through me, tearing me to bits and paralyzing me in place in the vey act of flying apart into a million screaming pieces-

"Isara! Isara, it's okay!" My eyes snapped open to see a concerned and sleepy Alanna, hands briskly shaking my shoulders. "You're fine, nothing's wrong. You can stop screaming now."

I realized that I was still screaming, and the wail died off abruptly. I blinked more out of confusion than sleepiness and stared back at her. I could still feel the terror spiking through me, but Alanna's face was combatting it with a steady wave of warm comfort. I grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"The crack. We have to stop the crack, it's breaking into pieces and then the darkness will get through."

Alanna looked, if possible, more concerned than before. She gently detached my hands from her and pushed me back down onto the pillows, turning on the lamp. She gave me a reassuring pat and reached for her communicator. I heard her tune to a specific signal, and, after a moment, said, "Bones? It's Alanna. We're having a slight crisis here. Yeah, she's okay now... but how are you on dream analysis?"


	3. Chapter 3: A Crisis and a Solution

**Author's Note:** I know this one is a little short, but the next upload will be about nine pages long, so just HOLD YOUR HORSES FOR TWO DAYS. Nice fans, good little readers... *pats heads*

Betad (again) by the lovely sailinginthenoondaysun. She has a Tumblr with the same name, go check it out!

So... if you hated the emotional damage done to Isara last chapter, hopefully this helps. :-)

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Star Trek_. No- wait! No, never mind, still don't own it.

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**Chapter 3: A Crisis and a Solution**

_Bones's POV_

Isara sat opposite him, still in her summer pajamas, which he was trying not to let distract him. Keeping focus was actually quite easy, considering the gravity of the task at hand.

He looked up from his perch on Alanna's bed to Alanna's concerned face, then back down to the notes that he had taken as Isara had described her dream. He was a surgeon, not a psychiatrist, but you didn't exactly need to take a class in dream interpretation to understand what Isara's nightmare had meant.

He hadn't been sleeping after he and Kirk had left the girls in their room. He had been searching through Isara's medical records. Because he knew that she would kill him if she ever found out, he just glanced briefly over anything that didn't look like it applied to her current problem. What he was _really_ after was the psychological evaluation that she took when she entered Starfleet.

He had finally found it, and most everything had checked out normal- no anger problems, mentally stable, slightly above-average IQ, minimal past trauma. However, there was that one little note under "Psychological History"- "History of mild to severe panic attacks. Related to past boyfriend- ? Removal of trigger + brief therapy = controlled anxiety. Brief period of moderate alcoholism. Sobriety established." Then there were listed the names of the anxiety medications she had taken for a short time as well as the name of her therapist, which he didn't need. He was convinced that he knew what Isara needed.

He scanned the notes on her dream one more time, then looked up at Alanna again, who was now standing by Kirk. Kirk had insisted on accompanying Bones when they had received Alanna's distress call. He wondered briefly if he had underestimated the two's bantering friendship. Or maybe Kirk just wanted an excuse for a midnight visit to Alanna's room.

"Well, the meaning is pretty clear. You felt safe before Jimmy showed up because we were your support group. Then, when he arrived, you realized that your anxiety was deep enough that we couldn't help you. All it took was the one time seeing Jimmy- the "crack in the mirror"- and all of your past anxiety came flooding through." Bones met Isara's eyes, which seemed so strong and clear considering the emotional turmoil that he knew was going on inside of her. Not for the first time, he was filled with admiration for this woman. "Not a problem, though. I have a very simple, very old prescription."

Isara raised an eyebrow, and Bones knew that he would probably regret stating it with Jim in the room even as the words came out of his mouth. "The first phase is a change of scene and friend therapy. We need to get you away from Jimmy and confident in yourself again. I'll help you open up and talk about it, and we can all help you come up with a plan of action."

"Road trip!" Jim crowed, punching the air and surreptitiously snaking an arm around Alanna's waist, which she sidestepped. Bones rolled his eyes.

"Phase two is to implement the plan of action once we get back here, which will be whenever you feel you're ready to face Jimmy." Bones glanced at the calendar on the wall. "We've still got a month and a half of shore leave before we all get to work in our separate ground facilities. Where do you want to go?"

Throughout this speech, Isara had been sitting up taller and nodding purposefully. The corner of her mouth was quirking slowly upwards in the beginning of a smile, and she grinned with Bones's last words. He realized that she would probably never know how warm and happy she made his heart feel when she smiled like that.

"We can just up and go anywhere? Right now?"

Alanna stepped forward, matching her grin. "Why not? It's not like any of us had other plans."

Isara jumped to her feet and threw her hands in the air. "Great! Let's leave first thing in the morning." She pulled Bones to his feet and he leaned in to peck her on the cheek, relieved at her sudden turnaround, but she dodged him and began pushing him and Jim out of the room. "We'll meet you boys out in front of the barracks at 7 AM sharp."

Jim and Bones began protesting at the same time.

"Haven't slept at all-"

"Need to pack-"

"You need to rest-"

"We don't even have a car!"

Isara smiled at that last. "I'll take care of everything. Just be packed and ready to go."

Jim suddenly jumped, grinning, and Bones wondered dully if he was the least enthusiastic person about his own idea. "You know who was just telling me they needed a holiday? Uhura! I'll ask her and Spock to come with us, that'll be fun."

Before anyone could stop him, Jim was off and running down the hallway. Bones turned to shrug halfheartedly at Isara and Alanna. The latter shrugged back. "The more the merrier... ?"

His disappointment at that green-blooded Vulcan accompanying them was extinguished as Isara threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He sighed and hugged her back, wondering how her "magic hugs" could still feel so amazing even after he'd had so many. "I'm glad you're feeling better, at least."

He could feel her grinning maniacally into his neck. "Bones, this may just be the best idea you've ever had!"

He couldn't help but smile a little at that as he stepped backwards and out of the door. "I really hope you're right."


	4. Chapter 4: An Uncertain Start

**Author's Note: **As promised, nine pages. *swipes sweat off forehead* SPECIAL thanks to my lovely beta for editing such a long chapter!

A very special someone makes an "appearance" at the end of the chapter- but what will Isara's reaction be?

I'm planning to do a little "special" when this story and official hugger combined reach 150 follows or 100 reviews. I've got it written, it's a cute little karaoke segment with no place in the plot whatsoever. When I reach that minimum, I'll post it at the end of Official Hugger and let you know in the next chapter I post after that here. (My beta is reading this and thinking "What? KARAOKE? Why haven't I read this yet?" There's no really good answer, my dear, other than that it's silly. :-)

Finally, a riddle: two insecure doctors, a womanizing but responsible captain, a loyal best friend with crush on said captain, a sassy Xenolinguistics specialist and a Vulcan go on a road trip. Who gets radio control the first morning? ;-) Alternately, who is the first to get annoyed enough to kill everyone else in the car? (Don't worry, that's not in the plot... yet.)

Yes, it's a long note. It's a long chapter. Deal with it.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't need one because, suddenly, I own _Star Trek_. It's the weirdest thing.

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**Chapter 4: An Uncertain Start**

_Isara's POV_

I was pleasantly surprised when everyone was assembled promptly at 7 AM when I pulled up in the scuffed, old minivan that I had borrowed. As I slowed to a stop and rolled down the window, Kirk stopped flirting with a still-mostly-asleep Alanna. Bones abruptly ceased talking to Spock and Uhura- I guessed that he had probably been filling them in on the "situation," as I had come to think of it in order to avoid freaking myself out.

Here's the thing: I may have been more messed up than I cared to admit when Jimmy reappeared in that club. I may have completely lost it and freaked out my friends in the process. But now that I had a plan of action, I was able to see clearly again. Jimmy was still in classes, which meant that there was no chance of him following us on our road trip. I still counted on my friends, despite the fact that they hadn't provided any immediate comfort. I knew that they could help me through this. And I was fine that phase one of the plan was running away.

That's why I was grinning from ear to ear as I bounded out of the car, pirouetting with my arms held wide to indicate our ride. "Seven seats, big trunk, plenty of gas, all we've gotta do is load her up and we're off!" I was rewarded with five slightly dubious stares.

"Where'd you get it?" Alanna queried anxiously.

I grinned. "One of the ensigns owed me a favor- she had an... erm... personal problem that she wanted taken care of... discreetly. As a med student, I was able to help her out."

Spock raised his eyebrow at me and Kirk looked disappointed that I hadn't stolen it.

Nyota Uhura stepped forward. "Hi Isara!" she smiled politely and held out a hand, which I shook. "I hope we're not intruding on your vacation. I know this is a little spur of the moment."

I shook my head. "The more the merrier!" I gestured to her and Spock. "I've been intending to get to know you two better, anyway. I'm working my way through the bridge crew." I paused thoughtfully. "And not in the creepy way that that sounded like."

I looked around, noting everybody's duffels and sleeping bags. "Is everyone ready?" My question was met with five nods of varying enthusiasm. "Right then! Let's hit the road!"

* * *

Uhura took first shift driving since she and Spock were the only ones who had gotten a reasonable amount of sleep in the past twenty-four hours. Spock had the passenger seat, Bones and I sat behind them, and Alanna, to her annoyance, was crammed in the back with Kirk and the overflow luggage from the trunk.

Once we had settled on the plan for the road trip, I had spent the rest of the night preparing, too excited to sleep. I had stocked the car with bottled water and trail mix, packed, un-packed, and re-packed, and planned our route. I decided that it was a good time to finally reveal this last to the excited (or, as the case may be, nervous or sleepy) passengers of the minivan.

"I spent a while looking at the road atlas, and I've planned out a basic structure for the trip, including where I intend for us to stay each night. On the other hand, spontaneity is a big part of the fun," I continued before certain people could interrupt and argue, "so I think that we should be flexible.

"The first day will be mostly just driving- we'll go across the Golden Gate Bridge, then keep going north on 101." Uhura nodded to indicate that she would follow my directions. "From there we go east across Richmond San Rafael Bridge, then north again, meandering up to I-5. That will take us straight up to Seattle, so we can stop anywhere along there for the night and arrive in Seattle midway through the second day.

"I can't wait to show you downtown! We can eat in the Space Needle- it's coming up on the 300th anniversary of it being built- and go to the Pike Place Market, which is the oldest open-air market in the country..." I had gotten really exuberant as soon as I was describing my home city, and trailed off when I realized the slightly dazed expressions on my audience's faces. "Right, sorry.

"Anyway, after a day or two in Seattle, we can head east and north. It's a full day's drive to make it up to Priest Lake in the Idaho panhandle, and we can stay there for several days. It's the most beautiful place, especially in this time of summer. Unfortunately it's a little ways off the main highway, so it's a full day from there to Missoula, Montana. From there it's another day to Yellowstone National Park- oldest national park in the U.S.! We can spend the bulk of our trip there.

On our way back, we can spend the first night in Boise, which is a shorter day, but the next day I want to push through to Ashland. We can stop for a day there and look around the Shakespeare festival. From there it's just one more short day right back here to San Francisco. If we spend just the minimum time planned traveling and in each city, we should be back here in about 16 days."

I looked around and smiled brilliantly. Kirk and Alanna looked slightly scared. Spock looked like he approved of my level of planning, and so did Bones, who I knew liked structure. It looked like Uhura had mostly tuned out after the first few directions so that she wouldn't get confused as to where she was supposed to be going. I shrugged- like I said before, I had to do something with the rest of my night after my nightmare.

The slightly awkward silence was broken when Alanna asked, "When do we change seating arrangements?" at the same time as Kirk chuckled nervously, "OCD much?" and Bones grumbled something that sounded like "Already being influenced by the damn Vulcan."

Ignoring Kirk and Bones, I responded "I thought that we could switch out drivers once a day- that way, we each only have to drive half a day every three days." I noticed Bones looking at me strangely. "What?"

"Did you get any sleep last night?" he asked softly.

I shrugged again. "I think that I'll sleep a lot better once I've got a couple hundred miles between me and Jimmy," I said in the same tone of voice.

Alanna had either missed or ignored that part of the conversation and suddenly groaned loudly. "I can't believe Spock gets radio privileges for the whole first morning!"

"Since we are going to be in close quarters for at least sixteen days, it would be logical to try to please as many people as possible with the choice of music or lack thereof."

Uhura and I both smiled at him, and I swiveled around to look at Kirk and Alanna as they squabbled over who should have to have Bones's duffle by their feet. "At least one person has good road trip etiquette."

* * *

Two hours later we were all regretting the trip.

The radio had stayed off because we couldn't all decide on anything. Kirk had decided to start attacking Uhura's driving skills, which I thought were fine but which were not improved by trying to carry on an argument with someone in the back seat. Meanwhile, a casual discussion between Bones and Spock on some aspect of the _Enterprise_ had turned into one of their cool but highly-charged fits of bickering. Alanna, who had been woken from a "wonderful dream" by Kirk accidentally elbowing her in the face while gesticulating wildly, was pouting about her sore nose and the fact that no one was listening to her pouting. I was trying to prevent my head exploding.

"EVERYONE STOP IT!" I finally yelled, causing the car to jump slightly as Uhura started. A guilty silence fell over the van as I composed myself. "Nyota, it says there's a rest stop in five miles. Can you pull over?"

"Sure," Uhura confirmed, putting on her right turn signal and beginning to inch her way across several lanes of traffic.

As soon as we had pulled to a stop in the mostly-deserted, sweltering-hot parking lot, we all stumbled out of the car and started stretching their legs. We split up by gender and made restroom stops, then congregated back at the car to bust open the trail mix and water. I had popped the trunk and was sitting thoughtfully on the back of the car, munching on a handful of peanuts and chocolate chips.

Bones sat down next to me with a heavy sigh, trying to wipe the salt off of his fingers so that he could hold my hand. "I'm sorry, Isara. This is supposed to be your recovery trip."

I flashed a smile at him. "It's fine, it's all part of the road trip thing. It just requires a little more planning." I gazed thoughtfully into space for a minute. "I think that I have a seating arrangement that will work. Two, actually. Would you rather sit next to Uhura or Kirk?"

Bones made a face. "Can't I sit next to you?" I smiled brilliantly at him, and he blushed slightly, which I thought was one of the most adorable things in the world. Even as that realization hit me, I knew that I would never tell him so to his face. Stuff like that caused him to get embarrassed and shut himself off, and that didn't get me anywhere. I noticed the slight smile creeping across my lips and mentally shook my head.

"Well, I was thinking that one of us would have to sit next to Kirk and keep him distracted, but I guess Spock could do that." I nodded thoughtfully at my own words. "Right, they could be in the back, you and I in the middle, and Uhura could keep driving with Alanna in the passenger seat." I chuckled. "I keep you from bickering with Spock, Kirk is far away from Uhura and Alanna, we get to be together and Alanna gets radio privileges. It works out perfectly." It was my turn to blush slightly at Bones's appraising smile. "I road tripped a lot as a kid," I said defensively. "I just know how to think these things through."

We all piled back into the car in the new seating arrangement, and things ran a lot more smoothly after that. There were still a few kinks- Kirk didn't always find Spock's conversation engaging enough to keep him from calling up to irritate the two women in front, but all that took was me and Bones asking him some question and he would be off and chatting without a care in the world. Alanna made full use of her radio privileges, and kept jumping stations from dance to rock to country and back again. She refused to listen to requests from anyone else in the car, but no one made a big deal about it. I got to hold Bones's hand, which kept me from yelling at Kirk when he refused to stop kicking the back of my seat.

When we stopped for lunch at a little old-fashioned burger joint, Uhura and Alanna and Kirk and Spock switched places so that Spock could drive and the seating arrangement still functioned. People napped and chatted quietly throughout the afternoon, and by the time we stopped for the night in Roseburg, even though it hadn't been a particularly long day, we were all tired and ready for a relaxing evening and another early start.

I stood at the front desk with everyone behind me, trying to ignore the occasional whines because of the time they had to stand there holding heavy luggage. After some negotiation and lots of smiles and nodding, I turned around, brandishing six room keys.

"Okay everyone, second floor. I got two rooms with a connecting door."

Everyone seemed to find this arrangement satisfactory, so we gathered up our things and prepared to take the turbolift up one level. Just as we were about to make it out the door, we heard a familiar name from the large info-screen on the wall behind the desk, where the nightly news was playing.

"...expected to be completed in just under a year, Until that time, the _Enterprise _is in dry dock just outside of San Francisco. The crew have been granted two months of shore leave on what is, for most of them, their home planet. After that, they will be stationed in ground positions similar to those that they would hold on their ship. Crews from other ships have also been granted shore leave, but will likely be stationed back on their respective ships at the end of the two-month period."

We all looked at each other, then turned around to sidle closer to the screen. Once you're on the news, you have a sort of morbid curiosity to hear everything that's said about you.

"Just for you, viewers, we have some never-before released footage of the crew of the _Enterprise_ just after the tragedy occurred." We glanced at each other, confused. We thought that Starfleet's PR department had been fairly uptight about what they were releasing. "This first is some amateur video of a crewmember rescuing a colleague from the wreckage of the ship."

My eyes widened as the footage appeared. It was grainy and the sound quality was terrible, but the struggling figure in crisp white scrubs was clearly Bones. Whoever was filming started running towards him, eventually dropping the camera so that it swung wildly from a wrist-strap or something. I squinted as the image steadied. Was that...? Yes. I sighed. There was my pale, blood-streaked face, hanging limply over Bones's arm. There was a brief pause as the person holding the camera asked Bones if he needed help. The reply was "I'll tell you what you can do, you can-" the rest was bleeped out.

We all looked at Bones. I smiled, trying to hold back a giggle. Kirk guffawed. He shrugged, blushing. "I was in a hurry."

The next "exclusive clip" was the news station crew trying to get an interview with Kirk while he was still in his hospital room. After knocking on the door (I wondered vaguely how they had gotten into the hospital) they were met by a very angry looking Bones, who told them, "No! You can't have a *beep* interview, he was *beep* dead ten hours ago! Why don't you *beep* just *beep* off and leave us *beep* alone."

By this point, Kirk and I were holding onto the front desk to try and keep ourselves upright, we were laughing so hard. Uhura and Alanna were politely hiding their mouths as they giggled. Spock was looking superior and vaguely amused. Bones was frowning, his face bright red.

Kirk finally managed to choke out a few words. "They... pfft! Captured you perfectly!" Bones just scowled.

I composed myself enough to hear the end of the news segment. "Obviously members of the medical staff were, if possible, even more taxed than the other crewmembers. Everyone reacts differently to tragedy- some with grief, some with anger. However, I think that it can be agreed that such a display of profanity was uncalled for. Hopefully Starfleet can be counted on to train their members better in the future."

At this last, I stood upright, all traces of mirth gone. "Hey! That's not fair."

Bones, still red as a beet and looking very angry, was about to respond when we realized that we had drawn a small crowd of people around the front desk.

"Hey!" One teenage girl pointed at Bones. "That's him! That's the guy who was on the screen!"

A man stepped forward. "It's Captain Kirk!"

Soon the mob had enveloped us, correctly identifying us all by name except me and Alanna. I was simply "The girl the doctor was carrying" and she was no one. We had clustered together with our backs facing inwards, trying desperately to fend off the group of fans and critics, when Kirk decided to just make a run for it. Somehow we all managed to cram into the turbolift without leaving any of our stuff or bringing along any of the people from the lobby.

Silence sat heavily on us as we trooped down the hallway to our rooms. As soon as we were inside, we deposited our stuff and opened the conjoining door so that we could pass freely between the two rooms. We all went into the guys' room and plopped down on their beds.

"Well," Uhura finally sighed, "That's even worse than before."

I sat up and looked around at the veteran crew. "Did you guys have stuff like this after the Nero thing, too?"

"Yeah," Bones huffed, "but nothing that bad ever made it onscreen. I don't know how it got past PR, but I _do_ know that everyone I know will see that eventually."

I flopped back down, narrowly missing Spock's head with my own. "Well, at least people know your name. I'm just an unknown damsel in distress."

We were silent for a few minutes, each contemplating the personal implications of our newfound fame. Finally Alanna jumped up.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I need a shower. Lighten up! This is supposed to be fun!"

We all mumbled noncommittally, but roused ourselves and started taking turns checking our messages on the small info screen. None of us had any except for Bones. He groaned as he read them.

"Here's one from my mother... she saw the news..." he chuckled dryly. "Apparently she's not too annoyed, just wanted to know the name of the pretty girl I was carrying in the clip and why I hadn't mentioned her yet." I smiled from my position in the other room, where I was trying to find my toothbrush in the black hole that my duffel seemed to have become since I had packed it. I listened as he dictated a short reply, then the sighs of exasperation as he read the other messages.

In a few seconds of silence, I finally located my toothbrush and stood up, entirely prepared to release a proud "A-ha!" when I was startled into silence by a resounding THUD from the other room. I dashed through the door, wondering if someone had fainted and hit their head on the wall. It was the only rational explanation I could think of until I saw Bones, standing by the wall and ruefully shaking his hand. I could see that the skin on his knuckles had split cleanly, leaving a smeared red shape on the wall vaguely reminiscent of a fist.

"What the hell, Bones!" Kirk exclaimed as he wandered out of the bathroom shirtless, halfheartedly towel drying his messy hair. Bones just glared threateningly, gesturing angrily at the screen before falling face-first onto the nearest bed with an aggressive "Humph."

Kirk ran a hand through his hair, wincing as he read the message. "Yikes! I didn't think that it was possible to be that scathing. Jocelyn," he clarified in response to my raised eyebrow. I nodded sympathetically. Bones didn't talk about his ex-wife very often, but I got the impression that she was a pretty nasty person. Kirk scrolled down, then burst out laughing. "Bones, you have to read the end of the message!"

"Mggnnff?" apparently meant "What does it say?" because Kirk read it out loud.

"'I am so offended by the display that you put on publicly, and especially that Joanna saw it. I am worried that you may have permanently scarred her- you know she still idolizes you, despite my best efforts to disenchant her.'" Bones grunted. "'I think that we both need a change of scene. She and I are just about to leave on a shuttle to Seattle, where the heat is less scorching this time of year. Don't expect her to make the trip down to San Francisco to see you.' Bones, they're going to be in Seattle! You can see Joanna!"

Everyone smiled happily at Bones, even Spock, as the room went silent except for Alanna singing in the shower next door. I felt like I was missing something important.

"Umm," I asked hesitantly, "maybe I'm being a dunce, but who's Joanna?"

Bones stiffened but I couldn't see his face- it was still buried in the sheets. Everyone else gaped at me.

"Uhhhhhhhh..." Kirk started, glancing at Bones, "She's, um, well, Bones, you know... how do you _not_ know?"

Bones flipped onto his back and sat up, looking at me with something unidentifiable in his eyes. He looked... defensive?

"She's my daughter."


	5. Chapter 5: Uncertainties

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! I know it's been _forever_... this one was really hard for me to write. A huge thanks to my beta, sailinginthenoondaysun, and my friend Hayden (the link to her Figment account is on my profile), both of whom were a _huge_ help with character development and plot suggestions. Hugs to both of you!

I made my first fanvideo! It's a multifandom angsty shippy thing to a Coldplay song. The link to my channel is on my profile! Do me a favor and take a look, tell me what you think.

I know that this chapter is a little short. I'll try to get one more long one up, but then I have some stuff to do and it's likely that I won't be able to post again until the beginning of September. :-( Just bear with me and, as always, reviews are AMAZING and make it more likely for me to post more stuff.

P.S. A friend of mine might be willing to illustrate this story for me! I'll let you know how that works out.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I _still_ don't own _Star Trek_, but Isara and Alanna and Jimmy are all still mine.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Uncertainties**

_Bones's POV_

He watched as her face slackened, processing the information that he had just given her. He clenched his hands, tightly gripping the sheets by his sides, but otherwise didn't move. His heart fluttered as he anxiously awaited her reply.

"I'm starved," Jim suddenly announced as he grabbed Spock and Uhura. "Let's go get something to eat. We'll bring you guys something," he told Bones as the older man shot him a grateful look.

"Okay, sure. Just not Mexican," Isara requested absently as the three friends hurriedly shuffled out. She drifted over to sit on the bed next to him, gently easing herself down, her face still thoughtful.

"Well?" Bones finally prompted her, too nervous to endure her silence any longer. He was _seriously_ regretting not mentioning Joanna to her earlier, even though the omission had seemed appropriate when they first became friends. He was a fairly private person by nature, and she had understood his reluctance to discuss his life before Starfleet. But now that they were... involved... he knew that she would probably feel betrayed that he hadn't told her before. He didn't have any excuse.

"Why?" Her voice was soft, and when he looked over he was startled by the depth of the injury showing on her face. He tried to place a hand on her knee, but she jerked away and stood up.

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" she repeated her question, louder and more forceful this time. The injury on her face was quickly turning to anger. He stood up to face her.

"I'm sorry. I don't have a good excuse." His face worked furiously, trying to find a good combination of apology and defensiveness.

"We're _friends_, Bones. We're supposed to be really damn good friends. Why wouldn't you tell me something like this? Don't you trust me?"

Her words were like a slap in the face, and he literally reeled backward. "What? Of course I do!"

"Well you're doing a damn terrible job of showing it." She looked like she had something to add, but finally just yelled "Gah!" threw her hands up in the air, and left the room.

He just stood there for a minute, shocked. He had never seen her that angry, and especially not at him.

After a moment, he began to get mad, too. Why did she feel entitled to know every detail about his life? What required him to tell her anything? Why had she _yelled_ at him like that?

"Honey, I'm home!" Kirk yelled jokingly from the next room, where he, Spock and Uhura had returned with some take-out Chinese. Bones furrowed his brow in frustration and stomped out to eat his dinner.

* * *

_Isara's POV_

The atmosphere was pretty frosty after Bones's and my fight. I made sure to sit on the opposite side of the room from him, mostly because I didn't trust myself not to start ripping his head off again, and, while I thought he was asking for it, I didn't want to upset everyone else.

Alanna had missed the whole thing because she was taking a ridiculously long shower, and Spock (of course) didn't understand what the big deal was. Kirk and Uhura kept trying to start up a conversation, but we always elapsed back into slurp-filled silence. Finally, Kirk turned on the news to break the tension, but they were running the same footage again from earlier so he shut it back off right away.

Eventually Alanna hesitantly spoke. "So, Isara... what are we going to do in Seattle when we get there tomorrow night?"

"I dunno." I shrugged. "It's a big city. The group may want to split up in order to see everything that we want." I glared at Bones over my egg flower soup. "But, I guess if people really want to stick together, we could have dinner up in the Space Needle to celebrate our first night in town."

"Aren't we going to see your family?" Nyota piped up. I shook my head.

"I don't have any siblings, and my parents volunteered to be part of an experimental colony in the Tarsus system. It's a lower budget program, so no warp speed- they're in cryosleep. All my friends left town to go to college, and most of them never really came back."

Nyota nodded and went back to her dinner. I turned to Alanna. "If we were going to be anywhere near New York, I'd suggest that we go see _your_ family."

She made a sour face. "Yeah, _that_ would be fun. They basically squandered the family fortune on parties and booze while my brother raised me. Needless to say, we're not close."

We tactfully avoided mentioning Spock's family, and I knew that Nyota's parents were back east and she wasn't in contact with them for some reason. "What about you, Kirk? How's your mom doing?"

Bones snorted as Kirk answered, "My mom's still an active Starfleet officer. I don't even know where she is right now, she's all over the galaxy on these crazy expeditions all the time." He shrugged. "I haven't seen her in a while, but we keep in touch."

Bones chimed in. "I'm sure that Winona is a wonderful mother, but she is one crazy lady. I've only ever met her once, and for some reason she assumed that Jim and I were together and launched into this rant about how glad she was that he had finally found someone to settle down with, and then started talking about all of your past girlfriends." He made a thoughtful face. "Come to think of it, she might still think we're together."

We all laughed a little at that, and Kirk made a wistful face and said "Ahh, memories," but the anecdote wasn't enough to warm the atmosphere. We all finished our meals in a hurry and retired to our separate rooms to get ready for bed.

As Alanna and I washed our faces and brushed our teeth, I filled her in on what had happened. "Ouch," she said sympathetically. "That must have stung like hell."

"Tell me about it," I responded dryly. I sighed and rested my toothbrush on the lip of the sink so that I could speak freely. "I guess that I just thought... that we were past all the weirdness... and the being embarrassed about stuff... you know? We've been friends a while, and I honestly thought that I knew everything important about him."

Alanna shrugged. "Well, really deep trust like that takes a while. Are you honestly telling me that there's nothing you conveniently forgot to mention to him?"

I felt a warm blush begin to crawl up my neck. "Umm... no." My right hand crept over so that I could rub my ring finger again, but I stopped when Alanna noticed and raised an eyebrow.

"See?" She waved her toothbrush at me sensibly. "You can't just expect to suddenly dump all of his secrets in your lap because you're dating."

"Well, yeah but..." I felt indignant that the conversation was being thrown back in my face. "You'd think that a _daughter_ might have come up at some point!"

"True." She nodded to acknowledge my point. "I think that he probably realizes his mistake now, though. Look," she continued. "wait 'till we get to Seattle if you want. Then meet Joanna. Give her a chance. You never know."

I grumbled incoherently as I jammed my toothbrush back into my mouth, but I had to admit that she had a point. That certainly didn't mean that I was ready to give up being affronted just yet, but I was already starting to miss the easy laughter and companionable eye rolls that usually occurred when Bones and I were together.

Hours later, I found myself still unable to claim the easy sleep that I had been expecting once I was away from Jimmy. Alanna, who was taking first shift on the floor, kept snoring and muttering in her sleep, and for some reason the guys in the next room hadn't stopped talking and chuckling among themselves yet. I finally sat up in the dark and listened to the sounds of traffic outside the window, my mind swirling with images of Joanna and Jimmy and Yellowstone and the Seattle skyline and even the sick bay on the _Enterprise_ until I fell into a restless unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6: There's No Place Like Home

**Author's Note:** It took a ridiculous amount of effort to upload this, considering the fact that I had to steal my cousin's laptop to do this. I hope you like it!

Shout-out (again) to my lovely beta!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own _Star Trek_, but Isara and Alanna are mine.

* * *

**Chapter 6: There's No Place Like Home**

_Isara's POV_

The next afternoon, I found myself sitting across from Alanna in a little diner. We were all crowded into one small booth, elbows bumping frustratingly and cups of coffee and sandwiches all jumbled together. Alanna and Kirk were chatting it up, and Spock and Uhura were conversing as well. Every now and then, Bones or I would interject a comment, ask a question, or refute a claim, but mostly we just sat in grudging silence.

I was trying to stretch my legs under the table (I had been driving all morning) without disrupting Alanna, and failing miserably.

"Hey, stop it!" I looked up sheepishly, but saw her playfully slap at Kirk. "What are you, five?"

"What?" he asked, faking injury. "I didn't do anything!"

"Suuure," Alanna retorted, giving him a brisk kick to the shin. I couldn't contain my smirk any more, so I took a quick slurp of coffee to hide it.

Bones leaned towards me and murmured, "Are you going to tell her it was you, or just let them go at it?"

I shrugged, the smile falling from my face. "I think I'll let them have their fun. Some of us should, at least." I took another deep swallow of my bitter drink, giving myself an excuse to pretend that I hadn't heard his hurt intake of breath.

* * *

We got to Seattle at about three in the afternoon. Our budget prevented us from staying downtown, so we checked into a run-down little inn in the Queen Anne neighborhood.

It had been a tense ride, and we were all more than happy to spill out of the cramped van, stretch, and haul our bags into the hotel. The only problem was that we still didn't know what to do with our evening. Nyota suggested the market, but I knew that it was pretty sketchy later in the day. Eventually, Alanna piped up with one of her classic ideas.

"We need a spa day! It's hard to keep yourself looking nice on a trip, and we'll want to look classy where we're going." Without waiting for much of an answer, she aggressively hooked her arms through Nyota's and mine and started marching us towards the door. She glanced back over her shoulder, giving the guys a critical look. "Clean yourselves up a little and meet back here at seven. I'm going to treat us to the night out of our lives!" As the door swung closed behind us, I saw three blank stares and wondered what the guys would do to keep occupied.

* * *

_Spock's POV_

"Would it not be more logical to simply discuss the problem with Dr. Jones?" he asked, confused as to where the doctor's dilemma lay.

"It's not that simple, you green-blooded robot!" the other man exploded. "Relationships... they're complicated."

"You are not reacting logically. If Dr. Jones really does care for you, this should be a temporary fit of pique. She will soon be prepared to discuss the situation with you."

"That's the problem, Spock," the doctor sighed. "I don't know how deep Isara's affection really is. For all I know, I was just someone to hold on to while she rode out the shock waves from Jimmy." He put his head in his hands- a highly illogical move, as the threat that he was experiencing was psychological and would not respond to the hiding of his face.

The captain put a hand on the doctor's shoulder. "Bones, I can tell you right now that she cares for you very deeply. I can tell by the way that she looks at you."

When Dr. McCoy did not respond, Spock took the opportunity to add, "Perhaps this 'spa day,' as Commander Hunt referred to it, will be a good time for Dr. Jones to get advice and speak to her friends, much as you are doing now. You will both come back with a renewed assurance of the other and a fresh perspective on the problem, which should allow you to solve it quickly and efficiently."

Dr. McCoy sighed and rubbed his eyes, standing up. "I sure hope you're right about this, Spock."

He raised an eyebrow. "I usually am, Doctor."

* * *

_Isara's POV_

I shook free of Alanna's tight grasp as soon as we were out the door. "Something tells me that this isn't as spontaneous as it seems."

She turned to look at me as she pressed the cracked elevator button. "Look Isara, I may not be the kind for a steady relationship, and I may be pretty, but I'm not an idiot." I opened my mouth to object but she cut me off. "I know that you don't think of me like that, but I also don't think that I get as much credit as I deserve around here. That's why," she continued, eyes sparkling, "I'm going to do you a favor. Just listen to me and do everything I say."

I glanced over at Uhura. "What do you think?"

She smiled lightly at me. "I think that you and Bones have been best friends for too long and you don't know how to deal with a good fight. You need a fresh look at things."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that what this is about? You think that, after Jimmy, I'm not able to deal with relationship issues by myself?"

"No," interjected Alanna, "I think that _everyone_ needs help now and then. And the best form of help that I have to offer is usually a makeover."

We were finally down on street level, and I had the chance to really observe the familiar skyline. The Space Needle, while impressive for its age and legacy, was barely visible among the forest of the metal, glass, and plastic spirals and domes and polygons that surrounded it. The Experience Music Project was built up a few more levels every few years, each time by a different architect, so the already eclectic building had come to resemble the Frankenstein's Monster of the city.

Even at the height of summer, the sky tended towards a soft grey-blue, and the essentially monochromatic buildings didn't add much excitement to the scene. All the interesting stuff was down at street level, where we were heading- the Pike Place Market, the street vendors, the high-priced dress shops mingled with the dingy restaurants and tourist traps, the Pacific Science Center and the arena and fountains at Seattle Center. I couldn't see all of this from where I stood, of course, but I could _feel_ it around me, the sea-tinged air loaded with smog bringing back a flood of happy memories. I changed the topic briefly so that I could point in the direction of and describe each landmark as I remembered it.

There's no place like home, I thought to myself as my heart swelled. I was walking through the place that I loved with two of my best friends. I was feeling generous.

"All right," I finally conceded. "If it's a makeover you want, I guess I'm game. But tomorrow, _I'm_ picking the activity."

* * *

"This is supposed to make me look sophisticated?" I asked as I rubbed the tender red rectangle that now surrounded my eyebrows.

"No, you idiot, that wears off in a few minutes." After being waxed within an inch of our lives, Alanna, Nyota and I were relaxing with our feet in hot paraffin as we prepared for a pedicure. Well, I say relaxing.

"This is way too hot," I complained, wiggling my feet to try to rid them of the scalding, tingling sensation that they were currently experiencing. "When you said a makeover, I thought that you just meant we were going to get our hair done."

"That comes later," she explained patiently as she watched me squirm.

"How did you talk me into this, again? I thought that we were supposed to be having fun experiencing things unique to the cities that we were in."

"That was before you got yourself into a situation that required friend intervention," she sighed. "We can go catch salmon with our bare hands or whatever tomorrow."

I huffed indignantly. "That's not what I meant!"

"Whatever." She yawned, obviously not in the mood to continue the conversation.

I made sure that she wasn't looking, then pulled out my communicator. It was a brand-new Starfleet gadget, predicted to eventually phase out the old, clunky communicators. It could be used for verbal or text messages, and it had a handy voice-to-text feature for notes that would be sent back to your registered PADD.

I tapped out "Note to self: investigate spa treatment as an option for interrogative torture" and had my finger hovering over the send button when Alanna saw me and yelled, "Put that thing away right now or so help me-"

I shrugged, clearing the send bar of the name "Dr. Leonard H. McCoy"- it's not like he would have responded, anyway.

* * *

Hours later I slid my key card through the slot on our door, my heart fluttering in spite of myself. The light "snick" from beneath my palm told me that the door had unlocked, but I hesitated with my hand on the knob.

"Don't worry," Alanna assured me as she put her hand on my shoulder. "We're gonna knock 'em dead." I smiled a little at the imagery and pushed in on the door, wondering how much the three men had managed to trash it since we had been gone.

The guys all turned towards us as the door opened, and we got the satisfaction of two jaw-drops and an eyebrow raise.

I felt suddenly self-conscious and tried to shrink back behind Alanna, who stubbornly pushed me farther into the room so that all three of us could display our new looks.

Alanna was resplendent in a fluorescent pink minidress with a thick black zipper all the way down the front. She was wearing matching pumps that put her at all of one inch taller than me, despite their impressive stature. Her wildly curly blonde hair, complete with fresh pink streak, was swept loosely back to expose her gigantic black hoop earrings.

I was suddenly struck by how much this woman had changed since the- well, innocent isn't the word that I'd use- blushing, excited girl that I had shared a room with. The hair, which she had long since stopped trying to tame, was the only outward manifestation of this, but I smiled with remembrance of how she had smiled shyly and looked at her feet when she first met Kirk.

Nyota was her usual elegant self, her form-fitting black dress perfectly accenting her long, toned legs and lean figure. She had added wings of gold eye shadow and a slightly shimmery lip gloss, but otherwise hadn't needed to deviate from her normal look.

I was so used to medical blue that I had scoffed at Alanna when she encouraged me to buy my dress a few months before, but I had grown to like it and had thrown it into my suitcase on impulse. It was a sort of dark berry color, somewhere that hinted at red and pink and purple all at once. The fabric was soft and gave the illusion of being wrapped around me, and it hugged my body in a way that Alanna had assured me was flattering. It did a good job of accenting my eyes, hair and skin all at once, and seemed to bring out the freckles on my face, which I thought looked cute.

My scalp still stung from the complicated braids and coils that were now pinned to the top and sides of my head, and I was dying to brush the unfamiliar weight of the mascara off of my eyes and rip off the gold chandelier earrings that were tickling my neck. As a doctor, I was used to the mantra of _functional, functional, functional_ that usually occupied my mind as I got ready in the morning.

Alanna slapped my hand away from where I was trying to modestly tug the skirt of my dress down a little- it was, through some miracle of fashion design, even shorter than Starfleet uniforms. The contact prompted me to look up at the three men opposite, who were apparently still dumbstruck. I grinned sheepishly, inwardly cursing my friend and her crazy schemes.

Kirk finally beamed at us. "All three of you look... stunning!" he exclaimed, stepping forward to hug each of us in turn. He and his companions had made some efforts to neaten up (as per Alanna's suggestion), but I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at his efforts. Kirk's dress shirt was only half tucked in, and his hair was as messy as ever. Spock looked immaculate, which I suppose was no surprise, but it just made Kirk look messier in comparison. I caught myself thinking that Bones had managed to find the perfect medium- classy but not stuffy- before I mentally stomped on my foot. I was trying to hold a grudge, and I wasn't making it any easier on myself.

It looked like he might be having a bit of the same problem if the smile playing around the edges of his stern mouth was anything to go by. Before I could analyze his expression too closely, Spock, ever the gentleman, offered Nyota his arm and moved towards the door. Kirk snatched Alanna, predictably, and she flashed me a wicked grin over her shoulder before following. Bones and I were left staring at each other anxiously.

"They're not going to leave us alone until they think that we're dealing with it," he finally said gruffly. I nodded to acknowledge the reason in this, and we tentatively hooked arms.

* * *

Alanna's "night out of a lifetime" turned out to be dinner at the Space Needle, not clubbing and dancing as I had feared. We got a couple of taxis downtown instead of walking or taking our own dilapidated ride, and for a while we just stood on the sidewalk, staring up at the towering structure. Then it started to drizzle rain out of the heavy grey sky and we hurriedly skipped inside. We bypassed the cheesy gift shop at street level, instead immediately paying for our tickets and stepping into the high elevator.

Blocks of grey light from the windows flashed quickly by us as we shot up into the sky. I couldn't help but notice Bones nervously adjusting his collar to my left, and I suddenly remembered what I had discovered on the _Enterprise_- he still suffered from acute aviophobia. I was tempted to reach over and hold his hand, but stopped myself just in time.

I reminded myself that Bones obviously wasn't as comfortable around me as I was with him, as shown by his unwillingness to talk about Joanna with me. I tucked my hands close to my sides, gritted my teeth, and prepared myself for an uncomfortable evening.

* * *

I was laughing so hard that my lungs ached and I felt light-headed. "So you honestly didn't know her first name until you were stationed?"

"No!" Kirk finally managed to choke out, and we burst into fresh gales of laughter. "But that's not even the best part! There was this total beefcake there, he actually ended up in Security on the _Enterprise_..."

I had to admit that, over an hour after that nerve-wracking elevator ride, I was having fun. Bones and I had formed a silent truce, originally for the sake of the others and then because we just wanted to have a good time. The hilarious anecdotes and the wine were both flowing freely, the food was amazing, and we were all experiencing vertigo from the view of the city from the slowly spinning dining room. Kirk and Alanna were holding hands under the table, and, though it looked like they didn't know we could see, I highly suspected that they just didn't care.

"Ohmygosh, I have the most _amazing_ story about the last time I was in Seattle," I gushed, not bothering to wait for Kirk to finish. I had a nice warm buzz going between my temples, and the doctor in me was trying and failing to slap some sobriety into me.

"It can't be that funny, because I wasn't there!" Kirk interjected drunkenly, and for some reason we all thought that that was insanely funny. All, that is, except for Spock, who seemed to be enjoying himself in an aloof, superior sort of way.

"No, but seriously, it's amazing," I continued, setting down my glass so that I could illustrate my story with gestures. "So me and Jimmy, right, we're still together at this point." I stopped to giggle a little in anticipation of my own story, but continued in spite of the fact that I was too drunk to filter myself. "And he's all like, Mr. Cool, and he decides that the best way to spend a date is to go to the fountain in Seattle Center." I realized from people's blank faces that they didn't understand. "It's _huge_, you guys, and it sprays like five thousand feet in the air," I held my hands several feet apart to illustrate, "and you can run around in it and there's music and everything."

A few nods of acknowledgement spurred me on. "So, he's like, 'I want to make out with Isara in the coolest spot that I can,' so he convinces me to get into this little slip of a swimsuit and go with him to the fountain." Everyone had stopped chuckling, and Bones was looking at me strangely. "No, it gets funnier, hang on.

"So we're there, and he's trying to kiss me, right? And we're standing on the edge of the fountain," here I stopped for a little more of my own laughter, "and he's getting really handsy, right? And I'm trying to get him to back off, 'cause I'm like, 'There are kids here,' and he just wasn't backing off." At this point I really should have noticed the way Bones was twisting his napkin like he was wringing someone's neck. I also should have noticed the way that I was slipping back into the "like"s and "right"s of West Coast slang, because I was very careful about my voice when I was in control of myself.

"So I finally shove away from him, right? And I, like, start to walk away, and I don't get very far because he comes up behind me and grabs me and I'm starting to get scared. But what you guys don't know is that the whole fountain is shaped like a giant bowl," I felt that I needed to say, "and we were up on the edge. And then this guy on a skateboard runs into Jimmy and pushes him in, and he just rolls all the way down and sits in the water at the bottom and I drive off and leave him there."

I exploded into laughter, and Alanna seemed to think that it was a little funny, but other than that I wasn't getting much of a response. "What? You guys don't think that that was funny?" Bones in particular was glaring at me stonily. "Aw, c'mon, you guys, he got what he was asking for." Silence.

"Isara, was he always like that to you?" Nyota asked tentatively.

"Like what, a total-" I cut myself off when I noticed the wary-looking family a few tables away. "Yeah, pretty much." Even for me, the story was rapidly losing it's amusement.

"That seems odd," Alanna said, "considering the fiery backlash that you seem to be graced with now." She pointedly tilted her head towards Bones.

"I guess I just... didn't know what it was like to really be in love." After a moment of my drunken smile I realized what I had said, and, dodging Alanna's triumphant smirk and Bones's startled glance, I stood up and threw my napkin down onto my plate. "Excuse me, but I'm more drunk that I'm comfortable with. I'm going back to the hotel." With that, I stalked over towards the elevator to begin my dreary, rainy journey back to a warm bed.

I didn't quite make it to the elevator before someone grabbed my wrist and pulled me the last few steps, allowing the doors to close behind us before he said, "Did you mean that? Really?"

I looked up into Bones's hazel eyes, shining with the happiness that he was not quite allowing himself to feel. As angry as I was supposed to be with this man, though I couldn't for the life of me remember why- oh, right, Joanna. Trust issues. Where was that thought going?

He wanted me to tell him if I knew what really being in love was like _now_, I supposed, though he could have been asking about the fountain spraying five thousand feet into the air. I allowed my mind to wander and contemplate where I had gotten that wildly-exaggerated number from.

His eyebrows furrowed slightly as my silence stretched on, and I honestly didn't know how to answer him. Had I ever really been in love? I had thought that I was, certainly. Maybe it was me, not him, that was the reason for our current argument. Maybe I was just a silly girl who didn't know what I wanted. Maybe, it suddenly occurred to me, I was just too plastered to think straight at the moment. Before I even finished the thought, I stumbled forward and somehow ended up wrapped tightly in Bones's embrace.

I stood up and pushed away, trying to ignore the hurt look in his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what I mean right now. I'll get back to you in a bit. Just, for now, help me hail a cab because I can barely stand upright, and then I'll get a good night of sleep, and then you and I will have to treat everyone for hangovers, and then we'll see."

He nodded slowly, allowing me to support myself on his arm, and I felt like a complete bitch as we sat in silence the whole cab ride back to the hotel. I couldn't help but think "It's Jimmy all over again, and this time it's my fault. Maybe it was my fault all along." I sulked about my romantic decisions and resigned myself to a broken heart.

* * *

_Bones's POV_

He nodded slowly, allowing her to support herself on his arm, and felt completely hopeless as they sat in silence the whole cab ride back to the hotel. He couldn't help but think "It's Jocelyn all over again, and this time it's my fault. Maybe it was my fault all along." He sulked about his romantic decisions and resigned himself to another broken heart.


	7. Chapter 7: Are You My New Mommy?

**Author's Note:** Hello my lovelies! I missed you while I was unable to post for two weeks. :-) I hope that this chapter makes up for it a little.

The next chapter will be quite long, so it may take a while to finish and edit. Plus school started again. Plus I started a novel. *sigh* Wish me luck!

As you may have noticed, this story is a combination of random fluff (because I love writing it and you love reading it!) and me trying to slap some dimension into my characters by pulling them totally out-of-context and messing with their heads. Bear with me, the next one will actually be good. I think. Mostly because the plot was a collaboration by me and three of my closest friends.

Finally, I just want to acknowledge all of the work that other people contribute to my stories. Sailinginthenoondaysun and Hayden (links to their profiles on my profile) help me with editing, and those two and my friend Maxine (who has co-written the story Superwholockvengers Demitreklinzards with me) helped me quite a bit with character development, especially on Alanna and Joanna. That's not to mention all of the inspiration that I get from reviews, favorites, and follows! Even if you've reviewed before, I love to hear from you.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I'm not trying to steal _Star Trek_. It's not like I'd get away with it, anyway. *sulks*

* * *

**Chapter 7: Are You My New Mommy**

_Isara's POV_

As I had expected, everyone in the group (excepting Spock) had to be treated for nasty hangovers. There was a hypo for that, but Bones and I hadn't packed a lot of medical supplies. We just had to go with alternating ice water and hot tea and making sure that no one ate anything more exciting than toast for breakfast.

That morning was pretty low-key. We stayed in the room for a while, gulping huge quantities of our home remedy, then went out to walk around downtown. We passed Benaroya Hall, where we could hear the Seattle Symphony rehearsing through an open stage door. Here we stopped so that Alanna could start an impromptu dance party, and we all waltzed with imaginary partners or with each other until we got hungry and headed down towards the market.

We stood at the top of the sloping street, simply observing the mass of people milling around in the long, low building of the main market and occasionally breaking off to wander the alleys above. Over the years the bustling landmark had extended up the hill until it covered most of the network of streets that were directly next to the ocean.

I tried to see the bustling Pike Place Market through the eyes of my new-to-the-city friends. Directly ahead were the World-Famous Fishmongers, tossing their fish in the air and shouting and laughing like they had been for hundreds of years. The salty scent of the fish mingled with those of fresh flowers, frying food, wood, and baking sweets in the steady breeze blowing in from the sea. A rickety staircase led down from the main set of buildings to the maze of tattoo parlors, fortune tellers, and bars that formed the underworld of the market, which had eventually extended underground and well below sea level. Most of the crowd was human, but I spotted the occasional Vulcan, a few Ferengi, and even some androids, who were easily spotted by their pale skin and yellowish eyes.

Alanna immediately dashed off to look at some delicately painted bracelets that had been carved from local oak trees. Kirk's attention was grabbed by a display of traditional Native American hunting knives. Nyota pulled Spock in the direction of a shop where you could see a gigantic vat of steaming milk being mixed into cheese.

Bones looked at me warily, as though I might jump at him with my claws out because we were suddenly alone together. I smiled to let him know that I was determined to have a good day.

"Considering how much we all drank last night, I'd stay away from the Hum Bao. It does a number on your stomach. Other than that, knock yourself out." He nodded and took off into the thick of the crowd. I pulled out my communicator and quickly sent the same warning to the entire group, then asked them to meet back by the fishmongers' in an hour so that we could all eat and explore together.

I ducked under a decorative beaded curtain and found myself in front of a stall selling rare spices, many of which could only be found naturally off-world. After skimming through a selection of their less expensive wares and deciding that I wasn't interested, I meandered off to a table loaded with cheap nick-knacky toys. I chuckled quietly at the perplexed expression of an android who was in the grip of a Chinese finger trap. He saw me watching, and a look akin to embarrassment came over his face.

"I seem to have reached an- an odd- technical impasse," he said disjointedly, each syllable emphasized with a jerk of his hands. "I am, uh... stuck."

I had to laugh out loud at his downcast look. "I'm sorry for laughing. Look, these used to confuse me, too." I didn't mention that the last time I had been fooled by one of the simple toys was over twenty years ago as I stepped up to him and held his hands still. With great deliberation I held his hands close together and pulled out one of his fingers. He held the other one up for amazed examination, the finger trap still perched on top.

"Intriguing!" he marveled, before nodding to me brusquely. "Thank you."

"Of course," I responded, still smiling. "Have a good day."

"You as well." With that, he paid for the toy and walked off. I laughed and shook my head- you simply never knew what you would see in this place.

I walked around until I found a booth that sold fruit from Tarsus IV, in the same system as my parents would soon be. I bought a gelatinous blue blob that tasted like an odd mixture of artificial cherry flavor and nutmeg, then a smoothie-like drink that tasted like mint and rosemary (with just a hint of lime) to wash it down.

In this manner I made my way through the densely-crowded stretch of original market buildings, smelling flowers, tasting samples of strange fruits and breads, and marveling at the craftsmanship of the jewelry and clothing that was tastefully arranged in professional display cases or on rickety old tables. All too soon it was time to meet back up with the group to explore the newer parts of the streets.

"Look at this!" Kirk was saying to Bones as I approached, holding up a dumpling that looked suspiciously like the Chinese delicacies that I had warned him against eating. "It's sweet bread stuffed with spiced meat. You've got to try it!"

I rolled my eyes and put a hand on my hip as I came to a stop in the middle of the group. "When you get sick later, try not to do it on any of us."

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm-" he suddenly turned a light shade of green and brought a hand to his gurgling stomach, groaning.

"That way," I pointed in response to his pleading look, and he took off at a pained gallop toward the bathrooms. Alanna looked after him, concerned. "He'll be fine," I assured her. "They're just not the thing to eat on a delicate stomach."

I suddenly realized that there had been a lack of scathing comments directed at the integrity of Kirk's reasoning skills, and turned to see why Bones had been silent. He was standing, completely frozen, and looking at something behind me. He had a look of pure surprise on his face, and it wasn't yet clear whether it would settle into joy or anger. I turned to see what the big deal was.

In the whole swarm of people before me, there was one person looking back at the group. It was a little girl, probably about six years old, with long blonde hair and a blue dress. Despite the fussy outfit, complete with frilled white socks and matching headband, she walked with purposeful strides and an own-the-place attitude that seemed oddly familiar. As I watched her, I saw her face light up in recognition and she began tugging on the hand of the woman next to her, who had matching hair but a pinched, proud expression. When the girl failed to get what I assumed to be her mother's attention, she simply jerked out of her grasp and sprinted towards us.

I jumped out of the way just in time as she barreled past and tackled Bones around the knees, yelling "Daddy!" I smiled in spite of myself as I watched him crouch down and wrap her in a tight hug, closing his eyes and pressing his face into her hair. I could tell that he wanted to just sit there and hug her forever, but she bounded up within seconds and began talking rapidly.

"I'm so glad you're here! I didn't know that you were going to be here. Mommy probably knew but she didn't tell. I saw you on the news. Who was that woman you were carrying? Was that Isara? Can I meet her? Is she here? Will she like me? Will she like my socks? I just wanted to wear normal pants but Mommy said the market would be fancy and I needed to dress up. I think she was wrong. It's dirty and it smells like fish." Joanna wrinkled her nose, but otherwise didn't indicate any pause for breath. "But I did find these coconut fruit rolls that I really like, but you wouldn't like them because you don't like coconut. Or do you like it now? Does going into space change what food you like? Can you synthesize coconut, or do you always have to grow it?" She looked up at Bones expectantly.

With practiced ease, he rattled off the answers. "I'm glad to see you too, no she didn't know, yes that was her, yes you can meet her, yes she will like you, and I don't know about the socks, but probably not, of course she said that, I agree that it's smelly, I'm glad you did, I still don't like it, no, they usually stay the same, and yes, it can be replicated." He beamed at her, and she matched his grin. "Did I miss anything?"

"I dunno!" she cried gleefully before launching herself at Spock. "Are you a Vulcan? Do you have emotions? Are you the one that Daddy calls a-" Bones leaned down and clapped a hand over her mouth, an alarmed expression on his face. Alanna, Nyota and I all burst out into loud laughter, while Spock simply looked puzzled.

Joanna turned a full circle to look for her next target, and her eyes finally fell on me. She squealed happily. "You're Isara!" It wasn't a question, and I was given no chance to respond before she slammed into me in an ecstatic hug and knocked all of the air out of me. "Daddy says you're nice." I waited for the rest of her spiel, but she simply gazed up at me, her familiar hazel eyes wide and happy. I tried to remember why I had been so mad at Bones for not telling me about her. I was falling under her adorable-little-girl spell.

"Well, I hope so." I smiled down at her, and she jumped up and down in excitement.

"What did he say about me?"

I didn't allow my smile to falter as I desperately scrambled for something to say. "Do you know what he said?" I asked, playing for time.

She was suddenly annoyed, and she stepped back with hands on her hips and one eyebrow raised. The similarity was eerie. "If I knew the answer, would I have asked you?"

I chuckled. "I suppose not. But he said you were a little sweetheart." My gaze flicked up to Bones, who mouthed _thank you_ and smiled.

"I try," she said honestly. "Mommy says that I'm supposed to be 'a proper Southern belle,' but I want to be a gentleman instead."

"Why?" I laughed.

"Because Captain Kirk said that Daddy was a gentleman on the news. And I want to be like Daddy," she said innocently. I looked up to meet Bones's gaze, then looked back down and pretended that I hadn't seen him brush away a tear.

"Well, your Daddy is very much a gentleman, and I think he's a brilliant person for you to try and be like."

"Did someone say my name?" someone said hoarsely from behind Alanna. She spun around to reveal a very pale Kirk, and she immediately offered him her arm for support. I vaguely noticed that Joanna had danced around behind me and was peering at the newcomer to the group around my legs. I raised an eyebrow at her in a clear but silent question, and she secretively beckoned me down to her level. I crouched so that she could whisper into my ear.

"Is that Captain James T. Kirk?" she asked shyly.

I nodded. "Are you scared of him?"

Her eyes widened. "No! But he's so famous."

I resisted the urge to laugh again, and settled for a reassuring smile. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

She nodded and tentatively stepped out from behind me, holding her hand out to Kirk. "My name is Joanna McCoy. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Kirk smiled and took her hand, but wasn't able to respond before a high, grating voice responded "Actually, her name is Josie Hatfield, and I'm sorry that she bothered you, sir." The blonde woman with the pinched face that I had seen earlier swooped down to grab Joanna's wrist. "What have I told you about wandering off, you silly little girl? You'll ruin your nice new socks."

The few words that came out of Joanna's mouth as she sat down, took off her socks, and threw them on the ground was so incredibly profane that I felt like my face had been singed. Judging by the looks of pure shock on everyone else's faces, they were feeling the same way. Bones was hovering somewhere between horrified and proud. Joanna finally stood, up, her face red, and finished with "My _name_ is _Joanna. McCoy._ Leave me alone."

Bones interjected with, "In fairness, that is her real name," and a gloating but apprehensive smile. The blonde woman whipped around and noticed him for the first time, and her already disgusted face jumped up a few notches of repulsion.

"Leonard."

"Jocelyn." Now that the woman's gaze was trained on him, I caught a barely noticeably gulp from the _Enterprise_'s doctor.

"She must have gotten this from you, of course. I have _never_ exposed her to any kind of profanity."

Bones smirked and looked down at Joanna, suddenly confident. "Sweetheart, where did you learn to swear like a sailor?"

"One of Mommy's boyfriends," she responded proudly. "He said 'Jocelyn, how dare you not tell me that you were sleeping with three other men,' and then he said the words that I just said." She looked suddenly worried. "Daddy, I'd never say those words to you. Are you mad at me?"

He smiled fondly at the little girl. "No."

Everyone in the group was on Bones's side, of course, and we all glared triumphantly at the now scarlet Jocelyn. She closed her gaping mouth and sniffed haughtily. "Well, if you're going to fib like that, Josie, I'm just going to leave you here." She turned around and pretended that she was leaving, obviously hoping that Joanna would get worried and chase after her. Joanna wrapped her hand in her father's and stood her ground. Jocelyn actually stamped her foot, pointed a finger at Bones, and released a choice string of words that didn't quite measure up to Joanna's display but came pretty close. Then she left, shoving people aside as she went.

Bones looked down at his daughter, then grinned around at us sheepishly. "It looks like we've added one more to the group for today."

We all started talking at once- congratulating Joanna, cursing Jocelyn, painting excited pictures of what the rest of the day might hold. Only Bones saw the soft smile that I directed at him, and only I saw the hopeful look that he shot back.

Suddenly, Joanna's arms were wrapped around me again and everyone was falling silent. She was beaming happily as she asked, "Are you going to be my new Mommy now?"

I automatically glanced up at Bones, who had put a hand to his forehead in embarrassment. Everyone else was expectantly waiting for an answer.

"Well, there hasn't been any talk of that yet," I finally admitted. "We'll just have to see." She looked like she wanted to ask more questions, so I hurriedly said, "Do you want to go get more coconut fruit rolls?"

She nodded happily and dragged me off through the crowd, chattering about coconut and starships and her father and her home in Mississippi and Seattle. I could feel the rest of my friends trailing along behind me, just as entranced as I was by this exuberant little girl, and I pondered the question that she had asked me. I just hoped that I had answered acceptably.


	8. Chapter 8: Dives and Demotions

**Author's Note:** As much as I love fall, it means school. And calculus homework. And essays and notes and... blech. :-P All of this leaves very little time for writing, so I apologize in advance for the long waits as I get back into the swing of things!

P.S. I posted a bonus karaoke chapter at the end of Official Hugger! It's fluffy and makes no sense, but give it a try. ;-)

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**Disclaimer:** The usual.

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**Chapter 8: Dives and Demotions**

_Isara's POV_

Joanna was the center of attention for the rest of the day. Kirk bought her ice cream, Alanna and Nyota took pictures of her trying on hats and jewelry, Spock did his best to fill her in on any history or science that he seemed to find relevant. I was amazed at the patience- even interest- with which she paid attention to his lectures on everything from marine life to the histories of specific cuisines.

Bones, for his part, didn't let her out of his sight. As much as I knew it pained him, he allowed Joanna freedom to hang out with whoever she wanted, but the instant he turned around and she had disappeared around a corner, he was off and running to make sure that she was safe.

One of those times he shoved through the crowd in the direction that he thought she had gone, only to see a congested mass of people and no sign of Joanna. I watched as he began to panic, unsure of what to do, twisting and turning and craning his neck. Finally Kirk appeared, leading her by the hand and laughing at something that she had said. Bones leaned against a wall and pressed a shaking hand to his eyes.

He jumped when I put my hand on his arm, but relaxed when he saw that it was just me. I put an arm around his shoulders and he leaned into me, one of his arms snaking around my waist to pull me closer. We watched in silence for a while as people fawned over his daughter. When we finally spoke, we did so at the same time.

"I'm sorry."

We looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Then we both realized that those two words were somehow enough. We smiled at each other, enjoying the tangible sense of happiness that had reemerged between us. We leaned our heads together.

Somehow, Kirk managed to pop up from somewhere behind us and shout "Hallmark moment part two!"

The next several minutes were spent chasing Kirk around, trying to hit him with chunks of ice from the fish displays. Joanna found this hilarious, so of course everyone else joined in to entertain her. Then Kirk accidentally hit a random stranger, who threw it back at him, and it turned into a full-scale ice fight. I watched with growing alarm (and amusement) as Joanna decided to join in by throwing a tomato, which added a whole new dimension to the competition. The chaos spread like wildfire down the line of stalls.

* * *

"I didn't even know that it was possible to get kicked out of an open-air market," Kirk whined.

I glared at him. "You started it."

"Did not!" He jumped into the street to dodge my slap, earning several annoyed honks from passing hovercars. "Sorry, sorry!"

Joanna giggled. "Grown-ups are funny."

"And some are just stupid," Bones added, looking pointedly at Kirk, who held his hands up defensively.

"I couldn't help myself! It was the perfect opportunity." He pointed accusingly at Bones. "Besides, I _am_ your superior officer." Bones rolled his eyes.

Alanna looked despondently at the cheap camera-like attachment for her comms unit that had been her only purchase. "At least I had time to buy _something_."

I raised an eyebrow at Nyota, as if to ask "Should I?" She nodded. I sighed.

"You know, Alanna, there are loads of malls and shops around here. We could do a shopping day."

She squealed and threw her arms around me. "Yes yes yes! I saw the cutest dress shop..." I immediately tuned out, certain that I would hear the information again later... multiple times over. I turned to Kirk and Spock.

"I don't know if you guys want to come with us, but there's the Seattle Aquarium, the ferris wheel... I'm sure that you can find something to entertain yourselves for the afternoon. Maybe we can meet at the hotel at seven again?"

They nodded and looked at Bones, who shook is head. "I think that I'm going to hang out with Joanna for the day. I just need to head back to the hotel for a few minutes, I forgot my comms."

Kirk and Spock took off immediately, and Alanna looked at me expectantly. "I want to go back and check my messages. I put through a request for a restraining order, and another to be transferred to the _Enterprise_. I want to see if I have any responses yet."

"Aren't you already on the _Enterprise_?"

"I was in a temporary position. As _ship historian_. I want to do my actual job."

"Can't you just check your comms?"

"It shorted out," I lied through my teeth, hoping that I would be allowed the walk back with Bones and Joanna.

"Fine." Alanna waved her communicator, complete with bulky new lens. "I'll let you know where we'll be." I nodded my thanks and turned to walk away with Bones and Joanna.

We had only made it a few steps before Joanna stopped and looked at us with pleading eyes. She held up her hands and made grabbing motions. "Swing me!"

Bones rolled his eyes, but we each took one of her hands and pulled her into the air, swinging her forwards and back in time with each step. It was a nice sensation, knowing that Bones and I were okay again, and I smiled up at the grey sky and towering buildings and just enjoyed myself.

* * *

When we got back to the hotel, I discovered that I had three new messages. One was from the San Francisco Police Department, letting me know that I could fill out the paperwork for a restraining order as soon as I was back in town. I would have to fill out the forms in triplicate, of course- one for me, one for SFPD, one for Starfleet. I sighed at the bureaucracy.

The second message was from Admiral Beeman. She had reviewed my request for a transfer, and said that she wanted to talk in person with both me and Captain Kirk. I sent her a reply to briefly outline the nature of our trip, and offered to have a video conference later in the evening.

The third was from a hotel in West Yellowstone, and was just a short, pre-written note confirming our reservations.

I scanned through my previous messages to make sure that I wasn't forgetting anything important, then checked my comms when it bleeped softly. Alanna was lost. I sighed and opened up a voice channel.

"Dr. Jones to Commander Hunt."

"Recieving."

"What the hell, Alanna? There are street signs on every corner!"

"But I don't recognize any of them."

"Ask Nyota to help you."

"We got separated."

"Then call her!"

There was a long pause. "Hunt out."

I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily enough to make my lungs ache. Bones came up behind me, still trailing his blonde miniature. "What's she up to now?"

"Don't ask." I tossed some things into a bag- comms, emergency supplies, money. Anything that I thought might be useful while shopping with Alanna. I turned around and pulled Bones toward me in a one-armed hug, wishing that he and I could be together for the afternoon but knowing that he and Joanna needed their time. "See you later." I slung my purse over my shoulder.

"Not if I see you first!" Joanna chimed in, giggling at her own joke. I smiled fondly at her.

"Make sure your daddy doesn't wander off. Or, you know, do something stupid. Okay?"

She grinned and nodded, tightening her grip on her father's hand. I gave her the thumbs-up and patted Bones on the back as I edged out the door. "I'd better get to her sooner rather than later. Knowing Alanna, it's only a matter of time before she gets herself into some ridiculous situation."

* * *

"I still think that it's your fault," a dripping-wet Alanna stormed as we trudged back to the hotel. Nyota stifled a laugh.

"_My_ fault?" I asked, incredulous. "How is this _my_ fault?"

"You didn't tell me that Puget Sound was so cold!"

I gaped at her. "It's connected to the _Pacific Ocean_."

"But you can swim in California in the summer!" she argued. "It's all the same water."

"What made you think that it was a good idea to go swimming without telling anyone else in the first place?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"I was going to tell you guys, but then Nyota said she'd meet me at the beach, and I was already wearing my swimsuit under my clothes..."

I stopped walking. "How far ahead in advance were you planning this?" She shrugged, and I jogged a few steps to catch up. "And besides, the temperature is not the real issue here. You dove off a ferry pier, Alanna."

"Again, you didn't tell me."

"I was halfway across town!"

She ignored my retort. "Ugghh, that was so embarrassing!" she moaned, emphasizing it with a shiver. "You've never been properly mortified until you've been chewed out by a security guard while freezing to death in a bikini."

This conversation lasted all the way back to the hotel, where we found the guys all assembled even though it was several hours before we'd planned to meet. Spock and Bones each raised an eyebrow at Alanna's situation, and Joanna pointed and burst into giggles. Kirk opened his mouth, a mischievous look on his face.

"_No_," Alanna cut him off. "One word out of you, _Captain_, and I will slap you into next week." With that ominous statement, she flounced into the bathroom and we heard the hot water come on.

Bones looked to me. "Do I want to know?"

"Probably, it was pretty funny." I grinned in spite of my annoyance at my friend. "For some reason, Commander Hunt _(we only ever used titles when being sarcastic)_ thought that it was a good idea to do a swan dive off the end of a ferry dock into the freezing cold, sea creature-filled Puget Sound. She then blamed me when she got yelled at by a security guard."

Nyota, who had barely been containing her chuckles for the entire walk home, released her flood of laughter, leading the way for the rest of us to join in.

"I can hear that!" Alanna's angry face appeared around the door, along with a cloud of steam. "It's not funny!"

"It's _hilarious!_" Kirk spat, and she huffed and disappeared again amid fresh gales of laughter.

"So," I finally wheezed at about the time Alanna had finished her lengthly shower and the laughter had died down, "dinner."

* * *

"And then I wanted to get ice cream, and then he said I had already had too much sugar, and then I asked if candy had sugar in it, and then he said yes..."

I shifted myself in the hard diner chair and glanced around at my friends. We were being treated to a very, _very_ detailed play-by-play account of Joanna's afternoon, and, while it had been sweet and cute for the first few minutes and bearable for the first ten, we were all getting a little restless. On top of that, the few other patrons in the small, clean restaurant were beginning to glare.

"So, Isara," Alanna cut through the ongoing chatter, "did you get any responses to your communications?"

I nodded and responded quickly. "Yeah, San Francisco PD says that I have to do some in-person stuff for the restraining order, but that can go ahead as soon as we get back. Oh, and Admiral Beeman wants to talk to us," I added to Kirk. "I think it's about my request for an assignment on the _Enterprise_."

"Hey, Beeman wanted to talk to me, too!" Alanna interjected, ignoring the high-ranking title as was characteristic of her. "She said that she wanted to have a conference with me and Kirk."

"Well, maybe we can kill two birds with one stone," I suggested. "I told her that I was out of town and suggested a video conference later this evening."

Kirk stuffed a french fry from Uhura's plate into his mouth. "Sounds good."

* * *

Somehow the three of us managed to crowd in front of the small viewscreen in the hotel room, and we opened up a video link to Starfleet HQ. Admiral Beeman sat there, kind features arranged into her "business face" and dark honey hair pulled back into a bun. She nodded at each of us in turn.

"Captain Kirk. Commander Hunt. Dr. Jones. I wasn't aware," she said to me, a hint of amusement in her voice, "that this vacation you mentioned included all three of you."

Before I could respond, Nyota wandered past behind us. "Has anyone seen my hairbrush?" She noticed the Admiral on our screen and tugged at the edge of her cropped tank top. "Admiral Beeman."

"Lieutenant Uhura."

"I'm telling you, you pointy-eared jerk, you used up all the hot water!"

"I took the most efficient shower that was possible. I would suggest that the system has not had time to recover from Commander Hunt's... extended... shower earlier this afternoon."

Bones and Spock continued their bickering as they joined Nyota behind us, and also fell silent at the raised eyebrow on the screen. "Admiral," they chorused.

"Commander Spock. Dr. McCoy." Admiral Beeman looked inquisitively at me, where I had hidden my face in my hands. Alanna giggled and patted me on the shoulder.

"It could have been much worse."

The unnecessary members of the conference tried to beat a hasty retreat, but Admiral Beeman called after them. "Dr. McCoy, I would like to speak to you at a later date. I'm afraid that the PR department is going to have to answer to me, but so are you." Bones blushed and nodded.

Before things could go downhill any more, I shooed everyone else into the other room to play with Joanna and sat back in front of the screen. Admiral Beeman cleared her throat.

"I had planned to do these conferences separately, but I suppose that I can adjust my plan." There was a thoughtful pause as she considered her words. "Captain Kirk, can you please explain, in brief, the nature of the _Enterprise_ and her work in terms of scientific exploration?"

Kirk nodded briskly. To this day, I am still amazed that the clowning farmboy I know and love is also the businesslike, responsible Captain that people admire.

"The _Enterprise_ is the newest and best-outfitted ship in the fleet, but not just in terms of military ability. Our labs are unparalleled, our computers are compact but capable of unimaginable reasoning, and our sensors and equipment are the finest. Because of this, the _Enterprise_ is sent beyond the previous reaches of the Federation's knowledge to collect data and make new alien contact." He thought for a moment. "I guess you could say that our mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life forms and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no one has gone before."

Admiral Beeman nodded. "Very well said. Because of the exploratory nature of the _Enterprise's_ voyages, we need the best and brightest people on board. Take Pavel Chekov, for example. Barely eighteen and in the top three finishers in the navigation exam in the history of Starfleet. Nyota Uhura can speak more languages than most of her professors. Montgomery Scott developed the most brilliant trans-warp beaming theory that we've ever seen. Leonard McCoy once performed an emergency C-section on a Gorn pregnant with octuplets." I let out a short burst of laughter, earning an annoyed look from Admiral Beeman.

"Sorry, I thought that he was making that up."

The woman on the screen cleared her throat. "As I was saying. Hikaru Sulu can maneuver a shuttle through a mousehole. Spock can out-reason a computer. James Kirk hardly needs to be explained." Kirk nodded politely in acknowledgement of the compliment. "What I'm saying is that we need young, fresh, brilliant minds on the _Enterprise_."

I nodded, hardly daring to hope that I was being counted among these. "I understand."

Her piercing hazel eyes came to rest on me. "Do you remember what you wrote for your Starfleet thesis paper?"

I started at the change of subject. "Of course." She indicated that I should explain. "I was speculating on the cause of the plague on the planet Dramia II. It is commonly believed to be the result of the poor training of a Federation medical team that was sent there several years ago in order to deliver routine vaccinations. Dramia is not an active or important part of the Federation, so the illness doesn't receive much research. I was outlining a theory that the aurora which the planet is currently passing through may have caused some of the symptoms and opened the way for the rest of the virus, which had lain dormant in the bodies of the Dramians."

Admiral Beeman nodded. "You were right." I stared at her. "Since your graduation, that thesis paper came to the attention of a rather high-ranking medical professor. He did some research and found your theory reasonable, even probable, and organized a research team. Your theory was 100% confirmed. In fact," she mused, "I believe that you should receive a message any day now asking for your input for the name of the virus and cure."

I realized that my mouth had fallen open and quickly shut it. "Oh, um... okay?" The question was clear- _"What does that mean for me?"_

"Did you ever consider," she continued, infuriatingly avoiding a direct answer, "that it was strange of you to minor in a field so far away from your main profession? After completing medical school at," she checked something in front of her, "the University of Washington, you joined Starfleet and completed the necessary xenobiology and cutting-edge medical classes to become a Doctor on a starship. While you were doing all of this, you took several entire courses in galactic and world history, so that you ended with a medical doctorate and a history minor. Why?"

I shrugged. "History has always fascinated me. I also like to be well-balanced, and I thought that it might come in handy, especially since the position of ship's historian is sometimes left empty when missions don't require much historical knowledge."

Admiral Beeman nodded again, this time with a note of approval. "Some people are of the opinion that it would be a waste to have two of our most brilliant young doctors working on the same ship. Others, including me, think that an exception should be made for the _Enterprise_ based on the nature of her missions. So I'm leaving it up to you."

I shut my mouth again. "Excuse me?"

"You can decide whether you would rather be stationed on the _Enterprise_ or another ship. And," she added, a slightly wicked twinkle in her eye, "I will assume that your decision is based purely on the good of the Federation and your fellow crewmembers, and not on your personal interests." She smiled at me and waited for an answer.

I glanced over at Kirk, who was smiling brilliantly. I thought that I could hear rustling noises at the door- the kind that might be made if someone was trying to listen silently but was really excited about what they were hearing.

"Um, _Enterprise_, please," I said hesitantly, unsure of how to word my acceptance. I sat up straighter. "I choose to be stationed as a medical officer aboard the _USS Enterprise_, Admiral."

"Excellent." She made a small note on something just out of view of the camera. "I'm afraid that Dr. McCoy will still outrank you through seniority- there can only be one CMO. However, I think that I can make you Head Doctor, since he's technically Head Surgeon." I nodded, slightly dazed.

"Now for Commander Hunt. I want you to transfer as well."

This time, all three of us had to pick up our jaws. "What?" Alanna squeaked.

"I'm afraid it will be a demotion. Quite a large one, in fact, as Mr. Spock is perfectly qualified to remain as first officer. But your research into the lesser-known languages of the federation and its near neighbors will be invaluable to the ship. You can work directly under Lieutenant Uhura, often alongside her, and we'll see what we can do about your official rank from there."

Alanna nodded her acceptance, apparently too surprised to speak. I was itching to ask her about this "research," because as far as I knew her studies hadn't strayed too far beyond command, but more than that I wanted to jump up and hug her and scream and celebrate. All three of us remained composed until Admiral Beeman signed off.

"I'll want to speak to you all in person when you return, of course. Until then, enjoy yourselves. Beeman out."

The screen went black and we all stared blankly at each other. Bones and Nyota poked their heads around the door. We just stayed frozen like that for a minute. Then Kirk's face suddenly split in a gigantic maniacal grin and we all started talking and laughing and hugging like crazy.

"You guys get to stay on my boat!" Kirk crowed, grabbing me and Alanna in an arm each and pulling us to him in a hug. I was feeling generous, so I returned it wholeheartedly. Alanna elected to stay there while I pulled away and reached my arms towards Bones, who eagerly accepted my embrace. Even Spock seemed less aloof than usual, though he did look confused as to why we were celebrating what were essentially demotions.

"What's going on?" Joanna asked, appearing out of nowhere. Jocelyn had reluctantly agreed to come pick her up in a little while, but until then she was hanging out with us.

"We're all going to be on the same ship when we go back to outer space," Kirk explained happily as he swept her up into a hug.

"Is Daddy going back?" she asked, pouting but seemingly happy that she had shoved Alanna out of position. We were all silent for a minute.

"I'm afraid I am, darlin'." Bones sighed and pulled her into his own arms. She nestled her face into his neck and sighed unhappily.

"Can I come with you?"

"No," he said firmly, and I hoped that Joanna would stop asking questions. His outward composure was beginning to belie some inner sadness.

The suddenly sober atmosphere was interrupted by a brisk knock on the door. We all glared, equally sure of who would be waiting on the other side. Nyota, being the most diplomatic, chose to answer.

Now that I was getting a closer look at Jocelyn, I was able to understand her character a little better. Her pinched face was tanned, and could probably be mistaken for beautiful from a distance, and her short body was graceful. But underneath all of the expensive clothing and immaculate makeup, her voice was a little too grating and her stance a little too seductive for anyone to be comfortable around her for long. Her sharp blue eyes dared anyone to cross her and her long, red nails tapped impatiently on her leopardskin handbag.

I especially bristled when I saw her shoes- shiny black pumps that must have cost a fortune. How dare she strut around in those when Bones had come to Starfleet left only with the clothes on his back and enough credits for a week of food! I tried to focus on breathing deeply.

Without the large crowd and the immediate moral high ground, I could see Bones beginning to shrink into himself anxiously. He set Joanna on the floor and actually took a step backward when she fixed him with a disdainful glare.

Her gaze didn't linger long, however, and soon came to rest on me. Her eyebrows furrowed angrily, and I realized that my lip had pulled back to bare my teeth in a kind of snarl. This woman was giving off bad vibes, and I had nothing good to say to her. I decided that, in that case, it was probably better to say nothing at all.

I wasn't afforded this luxury because she strode forward and pressed an uncomfortably sharp nail into my chest. "So you're his new toy?"

I actually felt the moment when the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. "I don't belong to anyone," I said in what Alanna would later describe as an "aggressive growl." "I am no one's toy. And as much as I pity Joanna, I would like you to take her if you must and get out of my way." I very carefully kept my voice quiet and avoided swearing.

Jocelyn snorted. "That's what you think now, but just wait until he gets back working in a medical facility. Long, lonely hours at home and a lot of conversations about hyposprays, that's all you'll have to look forward to. The only time you'll see each other is at night, and even then-"

"Actually, they'd probably be working together," Kirk helpfully chimed in, a grim expression on his face, "and I'd be careful how you speak to _Chief Medical Officer_ McCoy and _Head Doctor_ Jones."

The short blonde in front of me smirked, and I resisted the urge to slap her face. "And I'd be careful how you address me, _Captain Kirk_. Keep in mind that I can make the lives of your friends miserable if I choose." She cast one last dismissive look over the six of us as she snatched Joanna's hand. "I don't choose to right now. I pity you all too much." And with that, she left.

There was a long, awkward pause. Kirk looked apprehensively at Bones. Bones looked at the floor. I glared a burning hole into the door. Nyota and Spock looked at each other, inching backwards out of the room. Alanna looked at Kirk while she thought no one would notice. Kirk and Alanna slowly backed out of the room as well, sensing an explosion. They were right.

"That-" I launched into a rant of profanity, much of which I had never used before, and threw myself at the bed. If that pillow had been a full-grown Klingon warrior, it would have still required chiropractic treatment for life. I noticed a lack of agreement and looked up to see Bones still looking at the floor. I fell silent.

"She was right," he whispered. He looked up at me with wild, unhappy eyes. "I worked long hours. Day shifts. Night shifts. I was never there-"

"Shut up!" I snarled, and he cut off with a surprised expression. I pointed a shaking finger at him, my anger rekindled. "You did your job. Don't you dare let anything that that witch said ever, _ever_ influence what you think of yourself. She's insane."

He looked at me with the same depressed expression that he had sported when I had caught him drinking on duty. He was silent for a worryingly long time. Then-

"You're right."

I smiled at him. "That, on the other hand, you can say whenever you want, because I usually am." That got the beginnings of a smile. "C'mere."

I wrapped him up in what I hoped was a really amazing hug. I poured in all the experience that I had gained from being "Starfleet's Official Hugger" and held him tight and long. After several minutes, we finally separated and he kissed me gently on the lips. I, very romantically, yawned.

"Seriously, though? You married a Hatfield? Maybe you should have seen that coming."

"Off to bed with you," he smiled, shooing me towards the door to the girls' room. "See you in the morning."

"'Night," I murmured sleepily, worn out by the crazy antics and revelations of the day. "Love you."

He stiffened for a moment and I realized what I had said. I opened my mouth to try and take it back, but he relaxed and grinned. "Love you, too, darlin'. Now go to sleep."

It's really hard to brush your teeth when you're grinning ear to ear. I decided that I liked the way his drawl came out when he called me "darlin', and I was looking forward to another fun (and hopefully less eventful) day.


End file.
